Carroll senior hosts Irish staff - after cleaning house thoroughly

Carroll High School senior football standout Drue Tranquill said his house had never been as clean as it was Tuesday evening.

“I swear, every crack and crevice was cleaned,” Tranquill said. “Never before in my life (has it been that clean).”

The spotless conditions were understandable, as Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly and defensive line coach Mike Elston had an in-home visit with Tranquill, a verbal commitment to the Fighting Irish.

“It was an awesome experience, my favorite part (of the recruitment) thus far,” Tranquill said. “It was a really good time to get some one-on-one time.

“My dad was more excited than everybody else.”

Kelly and Elston arrived after dinner. The duo, the Tranquill family and Carroll football coach Doug Dinan partook in discussion along with desserts and coffee.

The meet-and-greet was not as much about recruiting pitches or discussing the future as it was the family growing comfortable with the Notre Dame staff.

“Some of my family members were walking on eggshells,” the 6-foot-2, 212-pound Tranquill said. “Whenever you have someone that famous or well known (in your house), you're always trying to (make a good first impression).”

Tranquill's younger brother, Justin, who is also garnering some early interest from Notre Dame, was among the family members meeting with the coaches. He was treated as just another member of the family instead of a recruit per NCAA rules, which prohibit much contact with current juniors during this part of the year.

The Notre Dame coaches did discuss Tuesday's departure of Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Chuck Martin, who took the head coaching job at Miami (Ohio) (see News-Sentinel.com for related story), as well as some other details about the future for the program in general and Tranquill's role in it.

“More than anything (they said) they are thrilled to have me,” Tranquill said. “We talked through some things, the schedule for next season … (and) the academic curriculum.”

Tranquill is still being projected as a defensive athlete for the Fighting Irish, with a safety's frame that could eventually develop into a linebacker.